Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined
former Special Master of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Kenneth R. Feinberg
and several 9/11 responders to encourage lawsuit plaintiffs to accept the
compensation offered by the $712.5 million World Trade Center settlement
agreement.

“The settlement would provide those who came to the
City's aid and their loved ones with prompt and certain relief in an amount and
fashion that the judge in this case, Judge Hellerstein, has found to be fair and
reasonable,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “We have no desire to be fighting in court
with those who acted unselfishly and heroically in response to that attack, both
on 9/11 and in its aftermath. Those who accept the settlement will still be
eligible to apply for additional compensation if they accept the settlement
before the Zadroga bill becomes law. Litigation will almost certainly
stretch on for many years – with legal fees and expenses eating away at the
resources available for compensation awards.”